Long Island adds 4,500 jobs in April over 2011

Long Island added 7,200 jobs over the past month and 4,500 since last April, growing employment by 0.6 percent in a month and 0.4 percent over the year.

The region’s total private employment grew by even more, adding 7,400 jobs since March to expand by 0.7 percent and adding 5,500 over the year, growing by 0.5 percent.

But Long Island’s private sector’s 0.5 percent growth rate was far weaker than the state’s 1.6 percent rate and the nation’s 1.8 percent.

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The regional rate also was a decline from more rapid expansion of the Long Island economy earlier in the year.

“This was on the heels of 2-plus percent year-over-year growth in the first three months of this year,” said Shital Patel, a labor market analyst at the New York State Department of Labor. “Much of the weakness was centered in the construction industry.”

The number of specialty trade contracting jobs on Long Island continued to decline, falling by 10 percent or 4,200 over the year, although the sector added 1,700 jobs over the month.

“Firms typically ramp up hiring in April adding 3,200 jobs on average,” Patel said, noting that the number of jobs added remains weak, considering the time of year.

Long Island also lost 800 manufacturing jobs over the year or 1.1 percent, and 600 jobs over the month, or 0.8 percent.

“Despite the weak headline numbers, over-the-year growth is still strong in several key sectors including professional and business services, health services, and financial activities,” she said.

Professional and business services grew by 6,000 or 3.8 percent over the year and 2,100 or 1.3 percent over the month.

And hospitals added 2,000 jobs, growing by 3.7 percent over the year, but remained flat for the month.

“We’re bringing 100 or 150 new people a week on board,” said Terry Lynam, a spokesman for the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. “We have been hiring. The majority are for positions being replaced. But new positions are being filled.”

North Shore-LIJ employs about 43,000 employees overall, including between 28,000 and 29,000 on Long Island.

The system is looking, in particular, for technologists, lab technicians and health care information technology specialists, all niche positions considered difficult to fill and very much in demand.

While private employment grew, government employment fell by 0.5 percent over the year or 1,000 jobs and 200 jobs or 0.1 percent over the month.

The local public education sector took the biggest hit, shedding 3,900 jobs for the year or 3.5 percent and 200 jobs or 0.2 percent for the month.

The construction industry, meanwhile, could get a big boost, due to projects expected to increase hiring.

“There is some good news on the horizon,” Patel said, “with the renovation and expansion of Roosevelt Field mall expected to create 2,800 construction jobs.”

Long Island’s numbers were set against a backdrop in which New York state added 100 private jobs from March to April, to reach 7.32 million, what the New York State Department of Labor called “an all-time high.” The state over the year added a total of 700 in government and private sector jobs.

The nation, meanwhile, added 130,000 private sector jobs from March to April and 115,000 overall including the private sector and government.